Last Modified: Friday, April 19, 2013 at 10:44 p.m.

Vanguard's Laquandre Kinsler smiles as he takes the podium after winning the Heavyweight division weight class during Boys FHSAA 2A State Weightlifting Finals at the Kissimmee Civic Center in Kissimmee on Friday. (Ernst Peters/The Ledger)

However, no one was quite as dominant in claiming a state crown as Vanguard senior Laquandre Kinsler was in winning the heavyweight championship on Friday afternoon at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

“It feels great to win, and I have been wanting to get here for three years,” Kinsler said.

Kinsler bench-pressed 490 pounds and totaled 765 pounds, as he just missed setting the all-time state heavyweight bench press record, but came up short on an attempt of 505.

On his first bench attempt, Kinsler hit 470 pounds and then nailed 490, before missing at 505, which would have bested the all-time best heavyweight mark of 500 set by Harmony's Nick Sardoni in 2008, but would have been five pounds off the all-class record held by Panama City Arnold's Gar Rosario.

“It was almost overwhelming,” Kinsler said. “I almost had it. After I tried it, I had a lot of people come up to me and congratulate me for trying it.”

Kinsler benched 505 in a dual meet earlier this season against Gainesville, but the stakes were much higher this time around.

“He had about 20 cameras in his face and it all came down to technique,” Vanguard coach Edwin Farmer said. “He gave a great effort and had it about three-fourths of the way up.

“He gave it a great try. I think he really had a lot to think about when he tried as far as what the judges were looking for.”

Kinsler echoed his coach's feelings.

“It was much more overwhelming this time trying the 505, and I was focused more on not messing up than lifting the weight,” he said. “The judges were real strict, especially on keeping your feet flat and your butt on the bench. It was a lot to think about.”

Despite the miss, he was way ahead of the rest of the field and wound up winning by 25 pounds over Port Orange Spruce Creek's Zack Johnson and took his mark among the state's top lifters in meet history and made quite a few fans in the process.

“A lot of people had heard of me, but this was the first time they got the chance to see me in person,” Kinsler said. “When I put the (470) down for my first lift, they wanted to see if I was really going to be able to do it.”

Johnson made up some distance with a 335-pound clean-and-jerk, but his 740-pound total was not enough to unseat Kinsler.

Kinsler became the 14th lifter from VHS to claim a state weightlifting title and allowed the Knights to move past North Marion for the most individual titles in county history.

The win by Kinsler enabled the Knights to claim their first state title since Lamont Daymon won at 219 pounds in 2011.

Led by Kinsler, Vanguard finished fourth in the state with 10 points.

“We've always worked hard in the weight room,” Kinsler said.

Spruce Creek ran away with the team title with 28 points, while St. Cloud and Longwood Lyman finished just ahead of the Knights with 12 points.

“The kids did an outstanding job,” Farmer said.

The county nearly had a second state title, but West Port's Will Sims finished in second at 199 pounds, just 10 pounds behind Sebring's Mark Anthony Miranda, who won the championship with a 690-pound total.

Sims had the best clean-and-jerk in the weight class at 320 pounds, but Miranda's 375-pound bench press, 20 pounds better than the WPHS lifter, made the difference.

By virtue of his runner-up spot, Sims became just the second West Port lifter to place since the school became eligible for the state series in boys weightlifting in 2002.

Another local lifter, Vanguard's Kyle Sandner, also placed at 199.

Sandner, who just missed placing as a junior, totaled 650 pounds and finished fifth, while his teammate Jarrad Mason had a 640-pound total and was 10 pounds off placing.

In getting to 650, Sandner was boosted by a 350-pound bench.

Meanwhile, Robert Taylor joined Kinsler and Sandner in scoring points for the Knights, as he was sixth in the heavyweight class.

Taylor bench-pressed 435 pounds, as he ended with a 695-pound total.

“We had three guys end up with medals, and they were very excited about it,” Farmer said. “They did a great job and worked hard to get where they are at.

“They've been dedicated and it paid off.”

Marcus Davis (610-pound total at 219) joined Mason as VHS lifters to just miss out on placing among the top six finishers in their respective weight classes.

<p>KISSIMMEE — Coming into Friday's FHSAA Class 2A Boys State Weightlifting Meet, a total of 40 lifters from the county had won a state championship since the event started in 1975.</p><p>However, no one was quite as dominant in claiming a state crown as Vanguard senior Laquandre Kinsler was in winning the heavyweight championship on Friday afternoon at the Kissimmee Civic Center.</p><hr />
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<hr /><p>“It feels great to win, and I have been wanting to get here for three years,” Kinsler said.</p><p>Kinsler bench-pressed 490 pounds and totaled 765 pounds, as he just missed setting the all-time state heavyweight bench press record, but came up short on an attempt of 505.</p><p>On his first bench attempt, Kinsler hit 470 pounds and then nailed 490, before missing at 505, which would have bested the all-time best heavyweight mark of 500 set by Harmony's Nick Sardoni in 2008, but would have been five pounds off the all-class record held by Panama City Arnold's Gar Rosario.</p><p>“It was almost overwhelming,” Kinsler said. “I almost had it. After I tried it, I had a lot of people come up to me and congratulate me for trying it.”</p><p>Kinsler benched 505 in a dual meet earlier this season against Gainesville, but the stakes were much higher this time around.</p><p>“He had about 20 cameras in his face and it all came down to technique,” Vanguard coach Edwin Farmer said. “He gave a great effort and had it about three-fourths of the way up.</p><p>“He gave it a great try. I think he really had a lot to think about when he tried as far as what the judges were looking for.”</p><p>Kinsler echoed his coach's feelings.</p><p>“It was much more overwhelming this time trying the 505, and I was focused more on not messing up than lifting the weight,” he said. “The judges were real strict, especially on keeping your feet flat and your butt on the bench. It was a lot to think about.”</p><p>Despite the miss, he was way ahead of the rest of the field and wound up winning by 25 pounds over Port Orange Spruce Creek's Zack Johnson and took his mark among the state's top lifters in meet history and made quite a few fans in the process.</p><p>“A lot of people had heard of me, but this was the first time they got the chance to see me in person,” Kinsler said. “When I put the (470) down for my first lift, they wanted to see if I was really going to be able to do it.”</p><p>Johnson made up some distance with a 335-pound clean-and-jerk, but his 740-pound total was not enough to unseat Kinsler.</p><p>Kinsler became the 14th lifter from VHS to claim a state weightlifting title and allowed the Knights to move past North Marion for the most individual titles in county history.</p><p>The win by Kinsler enabled the Knights to claim their first state title since Lamont Daymon won at 219 pounds in 2011.</p><p>Led by Kinsler, Vanguard finished fourth in the state with 10 points.</p><p>“We've always worked hard in the weight room,” Kinsler said.</p><p>Spruce Creek ran away with the team title with 28 points, while St. Cloud and Longwood Lyman finished just ahead of the Knights with 12 points.</p><p>“The kids did an outstanding job,” Farmer said.</p><p>The county nearly had a second state title, but West Port's Will Sims finished in second at 199 pounds, just 10 pounds behind Sebring's Mark Anthony Miranda, who won the championship with a 690-pound total.</p><p>Sims had the best clean-and-jerk in the weight class at 320 pounds, but Miranda's 375-pound bench press, 20 pounds better than the WPHS lifter, made the difference.</p><p>By virtue of his runner-up spot, Sims became just the second West Port lifter to place since the school became eligible for the state series in boys weightlifting in 2002.</p><p>Another local lifter, Vanguard's Kyle Sandner, also placed at 199.</p><p>Sandner, who just missed placing as a junior, totaled 650 pounds and finished fifth, while his teammate Jarrad Mason had a 640-pound total and was 10 pounds off placing.</p><p>In getting to 650, Sandner was boosted by a 350-pound bench.</p><p>Meanwhile, Robert Taylor joined Kinsler and Sandner in scoring points for the Knights, as he was sixth in the heavyweight class.</p><p>Taylor bench-pressed 435 pounds, as he ended with a 695-pound total.</p><p>“We had three guys end up with medals, and they were very excited about it,” Farmer said. “They did a great job and worked hard to get where they are at.</p><p>“They've been dedicated and it paid off.”</p><p>Marcus Davis (610-pound total at 219) joined Mason as VHS lifters to just miss out on placing among the top six finishers in their respective weight classes.</p>